“I think he set himself apart in Baltimore sports history, and we will certainly look into it and I would not be surprised if there is one there in the next year or two,” Bisciotti said.

Yeah, it’s common for mankind to honor great men and women with statues. Still, there’s a fine line between respect and idolatry. And anyone who claims that the statue of Lewis cries real tears on the anniversary of the team’s most recent Super Bowl win will probably be on the wrong side of that line.

The interesting part is Ray Lewis had everything to do with their first Super Bowl victory and hardly anything to do with the most recent one in terms of his on the field play. He retired at the right time.

Wow….just wow….Ok Mr.Bible, time to practice what you preach and tell them “thanks but no thanks”. Doesn’t it say somewhere not to worship false idols.

siknutty says:Feb 7, 2013 10:23 PM

I wonder if a white suit and knife is going to be incorporated into the statue.

bkostela says:Feb 7, 2013 10:23 PM

what more does a man have to do for a sports team to get a statue than what ray lewis did for the ravens? no brainer. bronze him.

packfaninvikeland says:Feb 7, 2013 10:24 PM

Oh the haters are going to eat this up. *ohh is the statue going to have a knife in his hand? har har har**ohh is the descriptiong going to read”paid off?” har har har*I am sure you people will come up with more.

This article will definitely spark anti-Ray Lewis comments and I feel I must warn all of you that you need to watch what you say because you may make Ray Lewis angry and you wouldn’t like Ray Lewis when he’s angry……because he kills people.

pooflingingmonkey says:Feb 7, 2013 10:27 PM

In a little over five years, Lewis will join an exclusive club in the NFL Hall of Fame: Probably Murdered Two Guys (tied – O.J. Simpson).

steelerrc says:Feb 7, 2013 10:27 PM

At least the pigeons will have somewhere to crap.

llcamino says:Feb 7, 2013 10:27 PM

How soon after the unveiling until someone puts a white suit on it?

hummer53 says:Feb 7, 2013 10:27 PM

Probably should wait a few years to assure he lives up the the high standards he has claimed to be the last few years. See what kind of life he leads without the spotlight.

fcoprado says:Feb 7, 2013 10:27 PM

I dont know about this.

beerbudsnbevo says:Feb 7, 2013 10:28 PM

Will the statue be holding a knife?

Hahahahaha

I really think all that is a bunch of crap, and I don’t really know if he did it or not….

I don’t see why people hate on this guy. He is a football icon and deserves to be put in stone for all to remember him. He is the definition of playing with your heart! Much respect Ray…..it was great to see you in action for all those years!

So will the statue have him wearing a bloody white suit, and maybe he will be holding a knife in one hand? Maybe you could put his four wives and six kids next to him. He may be a great football player but the man is trash and hides behind god. Do the Niners have a Montana statue, or the Steelers have a Bradshaw statue? The Ravens are a joke, and when Lewis was hugging Bisciotti from behind after the championship game might be the most awkward few min ever in sports. What a big strange love fest.

A statue?! People really do have short term memories. I guess if you’re gonna be mixed up with any murders you should do it early in your career, then cry on television every chance you get and push your religion as hard as Tim Tebow. If you follow these easy steps, you can get a statue in Baltimore.

Oh you have GOT to be kidding me. The last thing this narcissist needs is a statue to immortalize is murdering butt.

artiesliver says:Feb 7, 2013 10:44 PM

How could a good Christian like Ray Lewis allow the city of Baltimore to erect a statue of him for people to worship like some kind of god? Does he know what god says about worshiping idols?
This is more proof of what a fraud he is.

Ray Lewis is an icon in Baltimore. Regardless if outsiders understand, like, accept it or not, he will always be appreciated here. Johnny Unitas has a statue in front of the main entrance to stadium, and I’ve never seen anybody pray in front of it or worship it like an idol, but people take pictures their before and after every game, including fans of visiting teams. I and all the Ravens fans look forward to walking past the statue of Ray Lewis on our way to the game, and couldn’t care less of what outsiders or “reporters” who clearly have their own agenda think.
I don’t practice idolatry, just happen to park on that side of the stadium (assuming that they put the statue on the opposite side of the stadium from Unitas’ statue)

@dankkc… no but pnc park in Pittsburgh has many baseball player statues. Like him or not, he has done more for that team then almost any other player has done for any other team.

chattanola says:Feb 7, 2013 10:49 PM

Whether it’s a political character or a football god, I don’t think statues should be erected of persons who are still alive because it IS idolatry. It’s emotionally driven and will be meaningless a generation from now.

Same goes for having buildings and streets named after living persons. Just weird.

Irony is in about a years time they take down a statue of a guy who didn’t tell the whole truth about a horrendous crime and erect a statue in honor of another person who has done the same thing. It would be fitting if they recycled Paterno’s to build Lewis’.

People, it’s not like Ray Lewis commissioned the statue himself. This is the owner of the team wanting to honor not only the greatest player in franchise history, but the greatest defender of his generation.

M&T Bank stadium already has Johnny U, and next door at Camden Yards the O’s honor their greats in the same manner.

bobzilla1001 says:Feb 7, 2013 11:00 PM

Wasting money on a statue of an overhyped professional football player is exactly what a bankrupt city needs…
Congratulations, Baltimore!!!

So the prosecuting attorney states that Ray Lewis didn’t do it. There was no evidence that he did it so charges are dropped. Why do so many idiots call him a murderer? You do not have to be a Ravens fan, but I can guarantee you every Sunday, 75,000 fans will stop by that statue just as they do Johnny U’s. Oh btw, Oriole Park has a statue for Cal Ripken, Earl Weaver, Brooks Robinson etc. Stop worrying about how the Ravens honor Ray Lewis and worry about why your team is not the Super Bowl champion….haters

Hey nasty haters… Baltimore doesn’t care what you think! Huh huh put a knife in his hand huh huh! Put a white suit on him huh huh… I mean do you read the comments posted before you??? Get over it. Baltimore loves ray Lewis. He’s a great player and has done great things for our city.

When I read “Ray Lewis is a murderer” or “Is it going to be equipped with a knife” all I really see is “Wa wa wa wa wa I’m tired of Ray Lewis destroying my teams offense for 17 years” 2 rings suck it haters

Par for the course. Society is going down the tubes…… We debate having “God” (written) in documents, on buildings, in speeches, yet this clown who uses and abuses “God” gets a statue. Perfect!

Deb says:Feb 7, 2013 11:10 PM

You’re getting a little carried away here. Do you expect teams to hide their Lombardis in the basement? Having them on display hardly means people are worshipping them like the golden calf.

Yeah, a statue to one player seems over the top to me. But Bama has statues to all its championship-winning coaches. And Pittsburgh has a statue commemorating the Immaculate Reception. You have a collection of mini-helmets, and I have some autographed photos and artwork. Unless we start believing our memorabilia is capable of parting the Red Sea, I think we’re okay.

I’ve never seen so many haters in my life.. Dude you guys can’t even appreciate what the man did on the field, instead you sit in your moms basement writing dumb knife comments cause you can’t get laid. I hope he does have a knife in hand.. Then what?

rugdaniels says:Feb 7, 2013 11:12 PM

On the surface the Lewis statute seems offensive, but then I remember it will only be a matter of weeks until some enterprising Baltimore mummies steal it to sell for scrap.

It’s very appropriate in the city where “The Wire” and “Homicide” were filmed.

stainlessstill says:Feb 7, 2013 11:23 PM

They should also have the pearly gates of God sculpted around him too with the Devil winking in the background. Good stuff! They should put a statue of Son of Sam on the other side of the stadium as well. Wouldn’t hurt. Common theme.

toonloonboon says:Feb 7, 2013 11:23 PM

and if u want to know who murdered those guys 13 years ago, ask the statue. you’ll get more of an answer from it than Lewis himself.

I don’t really care about all this, but how many of you are gonna say the same thing that someone else said over and over. If your Gonna talk trash, the least you can do is try to be original. Too many lame hateful people post comments anymore

Well it’s good to see Florio isn’t still bitter. And in a few years, people will forget Florio and they will reminisce on one of the greatest linebackers in NFL history. Put the personal crap aside and look at this guy’s play on the field.

The inevitable day when they have to take that statue down — and they will — will be one of the most karma-filled days in the history of sport. It’ll rank with the day the JoePa statue down in Happy Valley. And I’ll make sure to piss on it if I ever have to go there before the fall.

spcoltrane says:Feb 7, 2013 11:33 PM

I’ve been reading all these articles and negative comments about Ray Lewis, and am quite amazed. Neither Lewis, Oakley, nor Sweeting were convicted of murder or any homicide charge. Lewis testified against his friends and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice by providing a false statement to Atlanta police. He received a sentence of 12 months probation plus a $250,000 from the NFL.
Like every other American, he had and still has the right to remain silent, and not have his silence held against him. Like every other American, he was presumed innocent unless and until he was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt by a jury of his fellow citizens. Yet, despite these fundamental rights we all have and should treasure, Lewis stands convicted by the press and many readers of this site.
Baker and Lollar’s deaths, like the deaths of so many others, was tragic and continues to affect their families. However, by trampling Lewis’s rights in a quest for vengeance or “justice”, we trample our rights, too, and that may be a greater tragedy. Better that ten guilty men go free than one innocent man be convicted, because that innocent man could be you or me, or our brothers, or our sons.

If I lived in Baltimore, and didn’t value my life, I’d open up a stand right next to this statue of Ray Ray, and I’d sell bottles of stage blood to tourists. They’d pay me $40 bucks for $5 bucks of stage blood, take a picture, and move on. Heck, for another $40, I’d take their picture myself, in front of the blood-stained statue of Ray Ray.

But who am I kidding? If I lived in Baltimore, there’s no way I would value my life.

anarchopurplism says:Feb 7, 2013 11:43 PM

all this anti ray lewis talk is tired & boring

he was one of the greatest linebackers ever and just rode off into retirement with a ring.

A blogger saying Ray deserves one and will get one in the ESPN article.

The official statement from Biscotti was only “we will certainly look into it and I would not be surprised if there is one there in the next year or two.”

So why does the title state that there WILL be a statue? I’m starting to really dislike the headlines on this blog. The statement made by the headline for this article is irresponsible journalism. If ANYONE understand how important it is to be accurate with words, it should be a lawyer.

before ray lewis announced his retirement, everyone inside and out of baltimore loved ray lewis. he announces he is retiring and everyone is hating on him for something most people forgot about and that he never was convicted of doing..heck he was never even accused of doing it…just being there.

I use to live in Baltimore. I said to someone there back in 2007, they need to put a statue of Ray Lewis outside of that stadium. Now it will be done. That’s a beautiful thing. I am so happy for him. He deserves every blessing.

Ray Lewis is an icon in Baltimore. Regardless if outsiders understand, like, accept it or not, he will always be appreciated here. Johnny Unitas has a statue in front of the main entrance to stadium, and I’ve never seen anybody pray in front of it or worship it like an idol, but people take pictures their before and after every game, including fans of visiting teams. I and all the Ravens fans look forward to walking past the statue of Ray Lewis on our way to the game, and couldn’t care less of what outsiders or “reporters” who clearly have their own agenda think.
______________

Paterno will always be appreciated at Penn State (by some), but even his statue was taken down.

People idolize sports stars way too much. I wouldn’t care if he won 5 Super Bowls and broke every record in the NFL.. he was involved in a double murder and he still won’t tell anyone the truth. And now he’s hiding behind God.

Just because you’re good at football doesn’t mean you should have a statue made of you. To me, it’s just another slap in the face of the families who lost loved ones.

If Ray had any dignity and/or sympathy, he would tell whoever made this decision that the money could be spent elsewhere… like maybe going toward families in need, whom he always claims he wants to help.

They could make it a fountain and have water pouring out of his eyes for dramatic effects

comebackid says:Feb 8, 2013 12:49 AM

Keep tapping on your keyboards tough guys you wouldn’t say a word to his faxe(not just cuz he would stab u) he’s the first raven you think of when u hear that team name. I got respect for his play, maybe not his off the field garbage.

It’s kind of funny how people all think Ray Lewis is a killer but you don’t know a god damn thing about what happened and neither do I. I think they had enough evidence to proved he killed those two men if he did it, just my opinion. Leonard Little and Dontae Stallworth killed people as well. They are building a statue of the the greatest MLB I ever see play the game who won two championships for them so I think it’s fine by me. I knew idiots would come on here and call him a killer. Little & Stallworth are proven killers. Stallworth paid his way out of getting jail time. Does that make it anymore right? He is still playing football.

kgmoome says:Feb 8, 2013 1:34 AM

Wow, big surprise. If the Cleveland Indians can build a Jim Thome statue, then Baltimore should have a Ray Lewis statue.

Savage Lizard says:Feb 8, 2013 1:45 AM

Gotta love the 90th guy in with a knife joke. Way to go Mr. Originality!

browning743 says:Feb 8, 2013 1:45 AM

I think a projector of him making tackles 7-10 yards downfield, then getting up and doing whatever that thing is y’all call a dance.

what a person he is…..not a “me guy” at all….he really doesnt ask for this attention guys.

Being really good at something for a long time breeds all sorts of naysayers. Every negative poster here does nothing to diminish his accomplishments. Fortunately for all the negative posters here,they live quiet lives outside of the limelight that no one cares about,and thus their past indiscretions aren’t rehashed over and over ad nauseam.

ivyleaf98 says:Feb 8, 2013 3:11 AM

You nuts are complete jokes. You’re obsessed with writing stupid comments about a man you don’t know. All the great players in Baltimore have statues, and Lewis was the longest player in Ravens franchise history. I can’t wait for the statue. It’s not idoltry, Mike. The bitterness, is personal and unreal.

Ray Lewis, the Greatest Linebacker of all Time, has two Super Bowl rings. Keep hating. Baltimore loves Ray. It’ll never change. Just like Belichick and Brady are beloved in New England, everyone else thinks Spycam. All you haters are pathetic, bow down to Ray’s rings.

How is this different from any other sports teams having statues of their greatest players? Ray Lewis is arguably the greatest middle linebacker ever.

This article and many of the comments that follow are very childish to say the least. Who needs true journalism when tabloids and sensationalism get more hits. That’s what the sports media have become.

Doesn’t Ray’s religion say something about false idols. If he is the religious man that he claims to be then he will tell the team to not put ups statue of him. Unfortunately, all of the crying and religious talk is nothing more than self-serving hypocrisy. At the very least they should have little statues of all his kids and baby mamas behind his statue.

I don’t get the outrage….people it’s Baltimore what do you expect. Hey it’s not in a high tourist area, it’s easy to avoid, but it will make the morally challenged people of Charm City happy…let them have this crumb to themselves….ten years with the pigeons and ray finds his white suit….that’s karma

We also have a statue of Roger B Taney, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who authored the Dred Scott Decision. This gentleman was responsible for the death of 700,000 soldiers in the civil war. We have a park named after Robert E Lee, the famous traitor who abrogated his oath of allegiance to the US Army and the nation, and who invaded our state twice, causing untold destruction.

A jury in Georgia ruled the deaths of these 2 gun wielding men justifiable self defense. But of course, you idiots have much more information available than the State of Georgia.

So stay at your computer in the basement and maybe Mommy will bring you a nice cup of cocoa with your medication. Remember, you have group therapy tomorrow.

Did Baltimore erect one of Johnny Unitis, the greatest athlete to ever represent that city??

hateforeveryone says:Feb 8, 2013 7:21 AM

The statue should have two guys tackling the ball carrier and then have Ray Lewis standing above them about to jump on pile, like he’s done the past 10 years. Should have quit 10 years ago, ruined his legacy.

ham1 says:Feb 8, 2013 7:26 AM

aces79 says:
Feb 7, 2013 10:51 PM
Why would they gave a statue of a Murderer
——————————————————
Thats why they are called Baltmorons

bigdaddyraven says:Feb 8, 2013 7:33 AM

That will be a worthy commemoration for the Greatest Middle Linebacker of all times. And I can’t wait until half of Baltimore make the trek to Canton in 5 years! GOAT!

Lewis shaking hands with Rae Carruth in a Federal Prison would seem to be an appropriate pose for the statue…oh yea I forgot he bought his way out of a trial and conviction. Baltimore = City of False Idols; let the rain of fire begin.

footballfan58 says:Feb 8, 2013 7:47 AM

Oh my. Our society has sunk so low. This man may have been a great football player, but this is too much considering his personal life.

20ereedboyyyy says:Feb 8, 2013 7:50 AM

Cue the lame “where are they going to put the knife?” jokes – Hate on haters…..best MLB of all time

Shows how low the Baltimore organization and fans are to want this scumbag of a statue in front of their stadium. Great, he was a good football player. But he was an accomplice to murder! I guess since he’s able to hide behind the bible then he’s ok. Yet Cincinnati can’t honor Pete Rose because the MLB is upset he bet on a game. What a bass ackwards society we have. Do not bet on the game but you’re allowed to kill and you’ll still be idolized. Scum.

melikefootball says:Feb 8, 2013 8:09 AM

That will be a site,Ray in a white suit holding up a knife.

75rockrasin says:Feb 8, 2013 8:10 AM

all these comments are from who? fans from Denver, Pittsburgh, Boston, and San Fran perhaps?
All of whom had a chance to send Ray Lewis off to early retirement. You even posted billboards eluding to it..
Fail

you clowns all need to get over yourselves. there will be no knife because he didnt kill anyone. the ravens and baltimore are paying homage to a legendary player. if you are tired of ray then why keep posting? jealousy perhaps? thanks ray and go ravens

I live in Utah, where the ESA has statues of John Stockton and Karl Malone on the outside. Also, at Merlin Olsen stadium at Utah State University, there is a statue of (surprise, surprise) Merlin Olsen. There’s nothing idolatrous about it, it’s a way to show respect to and remember the greatest athletes who have played there. For the greatest MLB ever, I kinda expected this would happen.

Monuments and statues of sports heroes have been around long before Ray Lewis. Yankees monument park looks like a cemetery. The Bulls put up a statue of MJ before he was officially retired from sports. The fans in Philly fought to keep the statue of Rocky from being removed.

To compare this to religion is a huge stretch, and an obvious dig at Lewis who wears his religion is on his sleeve.

Mount Rushmore, the Lincoln Memorial, are not about worship, but recognition and history.

Ray’s earned a statue. Only other statue the Ravens have is of the ORIGINAL Johnny Football, Johnny Unitas. It’s appropriate that the two men who define Baltimore’s football history are the two men who will have statues outside of M&T Bank Stadium.

Need an index page for subject matter of the comments concerning ray.
Great place to find laughs!!

haterade999 says:Feb 8, 2013 12:36 PM

You mods are so busy making sure your narrative goes according to plan that you may have let a few unsightly comments end up in other unfavorable places.

LOL. Love it.

theageofquarrel says:Feb 8, 2013 12:42 PM

Lets not forget the greatest linebackers to ever play had the last names of Taylor,Ham,Lambert and Thomas.
Sorry but Lewis doesn’t even come close to those 4.
So the people who claim that that Ray Ray is the best LB of all time probably just started watching football maybe 15 years ago.

LT and DT were both outside linebackers, while Ray Lewis was a MLB. You can’t really compare the two. Two entirely different positions. LT and DT’s primary job was to pass rush. I’ll readily concede that both are better pass rushers than Ray Lewis ever was. However, LT and DT were not nearly as great as Ray was at stopping the run and coverage.

As far as Jack Lambert, yes Lambert is an all-time great. I’d probably rank him 2nd or 3rd all time as far as MLBs go. Here’s why Ray’s better: Every team is constantly searching for the next Ray Lewis. With all due respect to Jack Lambert, I haven’t heard any team look for another Jack Lambert.

Also, to not even mention Dick Butkus shows how little you know about football.

Statue guys have to be impeccable, both on and off the field, admirable in every imaginable way. Mr. Lewis does not come up to statue level.

Johnny Unitas is, arguably, one of the top 2-3 quarterbacks of all time and a role model off the field and is, by any measure, statue-worthy.

Is Ray Lewis even in the top 10 all-time of linebackers? I’d say maybe yes without bothering to list them but…is he a role model off the field? I think not…being convicted of an obstruction of justice charge in a murder case is pretty damaging to that image.

mrphatal says:Feb 8, 2013 3:07 PM

Will the statue be wearing the “White Suit?”

mrphatal says:Feb 8, 2013 3:27 PM

While we are at it, can we erect one of Saddam and Bin Laden, and change the name of the stadium to CUT Co. Field? What a killer idea!!

swagger52 | Feb 8, 2013, 9:42 AM EST
Ravens fans and Raven-haters..We all benefited from having Ray Lewis in the league. He gave us somebody to love and somebody to hate. We should all be thankful – just like Muhammad Ali was to boxing.

Don’t insult the greatest boxer of all time by comparing him to slash…it shows you are very young indeed..

nekelund says:Feb 8, 2013 7:02 PM

A statue of Ray Lewis? I guess they wanted to honor him with something that moves around as effectively as Lewis did during his last Superbowl. Heck, a large immobile piece of stone or steel might have occasionally stopped someone.

jwilliamsspf says:Feb 9, 2013 12:24 AM

Is it going to have a knife and a white suit?

Look! Now I’m just as unoriginal as all of the others on here! Wow…it’s funny!

Because…you know he was involved and all. Like 12 years ago and…you know so that’s what makes this comment so funny. Right? I mean…I’m funny when I put that because nobody ever thought of that comment. At least not on this website. SMH

If you go to Pittsburgh they have Rooney statues outside of the Steelers stadium. I see no issue with the Ravens doing this for Ray Ray.

flavordave says:Feb 9, 2013 6:56 PM

Im going to wrap it in a white suit when they finish it.

ivyleaf98 says:Feb 11, 2013 5:37 PM

Dear Haters- Unless you are in Baltimore, it does not matter what you think. Most of you ignorant, uneducated nut-cases are judging him based off inaccurate information. The fans of baltimore love the idea of a statue, and we cant wait. All you “outsiders” don’t have a say. Including you Mike Florio. Move on haters. Get over it.

momar3000 says:Feb 11, 2013 8:38 PM

I shall print this comment section and erect a monument to Ignorance.

All yall Bmore haters can stay the hell out, its not your city and we can put up statues to whoever we want. We got a Frank Zappa statue and a terrible Man/Woman thing at the train station already.

Don’t come to Bmore. When you get some awful cancer and you’re all like “waaaaah, cure my cancer Hopkins” we’re gonna be all like GTFO. You get no crabcakes, no gold medals, no lombardi trophies, and next time Britain comes a knockn’ we just might pretend we don’t see ’em.